Luke 2:8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
God came to bring peace. It is the Christmas season and for many it is everything but peace. For some of you, this Christmas is the first without someone family member, spouse, or friend. Others gathering with family feels more like “two cats tied together at the tail” than peace. Still some the business and expense has overwhelmed and created immense tension. Then you hear at church or reading this that Jesus came to bring peace.
Some of my worst Christmas’:
The Christmas I knew Santa wasn’t real. The Christmas all my family had the flu. The Christmas before my parents divorce. The first Christmas after their divorce. The first Christmas without my grandma.
Maybe this Christmas is going to be one of your hardest, how do you find peace in the hurt? Jesus came to bring peace to his people. These people were under Roman persecution. God hadn’t spoken in about 400 years. They had been waiting for a savior for 1000 years and nothing. Now God sends a baby to a poor single teenage mom to be the savior of the world and the prince of peace. When Jesus died the Jews were still under the Roman persecution and for those who followed Jesus, it got worse! The circumstances got worse, yet when you look at the church they had peace despite their circumstances.
What I am learning is I try to find peace in my circumstances, and when I do I lack peace. When I am consistent and spending time with Jesus, I have peace no matter my circumstances.
So whether you circumstance are good or the worst ever, where are you trying to find peace? If it is anything other than the presence of Jesus, you will always find yourself short on peace. So GO to Him today and ask for His peace!
Recklessly, obsessively following Jesus
Brandon Sereg
